ALEX C. HICKS JR./Associated PressByrnes High School running back Marcus Lattimore makes a call before leaving with his teammates for a high school football game in October in Spartanburg, S.C.

Flanked by members of his hometown church, Marcus Lattimore announced Tuesday night that he would sign with his home-state school.

Lattimore, a running back considered one of the nation's top prospects, picked South Carolina over Auburn at a ceremony in Duncan, S.C.

"That's where my heart is," Lattimore said.

His decision dashed Auburn's hopes of creating a power-packed backfield tandem with current commitment Michael Dyer.

Lattimore first took out an Auburn cap before revealing a South Carolina cap underneath it.

A 5-foot-11, 210-pound back who was named Mr. Football in South Carolina, Lattimore is ranked No. 1 in the Press-Register's Super Southeast 120.

"I want to thank all the schools that recruited me," Lattimore said. "I'll cherish and remember it for the rest of my life. After all the in-home visits, camps, unofficial visits, official visits, I found the place that's best for me.

"There's only one goal on my mind and that's to beat Southern Miss," he said, referring to the Gamecocks' season-opening opponent.